Ruth A-Riden
Ov all the roads that ever bridgeDid bear athirt a river's feaece,Or ho'ses up an' down the ridgeDid wear to doust at ev'ry peaece,I'll teaeke the Stalton leaene to tread,By banks wi' primrwose-beds bespread,An' steaetely elems over head,Where Ruth do come a-riden.
An' I would rise when vields be greyWi' mornen dew, avore 'tis dry,An' beaet the doust droughout the dayTo bluest hills ov all the sky;If there, avore the dusk o' night,The evenen zun, a-sheenen bright,Would pay my leaebors wi' the zightO' Ruth--o' Ruth a-riden.
Her healthy feaece is rwosy feaeir,She's comely in her gait an' lim',An' sweet's the smile her feaece do wear,Below her cap's well-rounded brim;An' while her skirt's a-spreaeden wide,In vwolds upon the ho'se's zide,He'll toss his head, an' snort wi' pride,To trot wi' Ruth a-riden.
An' as her ho'se's rottlen peaeceDo slacken till his veet do beaetA slower trot, an' till her feaeceDo bloom avore the tollman's geaete;Oh! he'd be glad to oben wideHis high-back'd geaete, an' stand azide,A-given up his toll wi' pride,Vor zight o' Ruth a-riden.
An' oh! that Ruth could be my bride,An' I had ho'ses at my will,That I mid teaeke her by my zide,A-riden over dell an' hill;I'd zet wi' pride her litty tooe'Ithin a stirrup, sheenen new,An' leaeve all other jays to gooAlong wi' Ruth a-riden.
If maidens that be weaek an' peaeleA-mwopen in the house's sheaede,Would wish to be so blithe and heaeleAs you did zee young Ruth a-meaede;Then, though the zummer zun mid glow,Or though the Winter win' mid blow,They'd leaep upon the saddle's bow,An' goo, lik' Ruth, a-riden.
While evenen light do sof'ly gildThe moss upon the elem's bark,Avore the zingen bird's a-still'd,Or woods be dim, or day is dark,Wi' quiv'ren grass avore his breast,In cowslip beds, do lie at rest,The ho'se that now do goo the bestWi' rwosy Ruth a-riden.
Words in this poem
- bespread v. t.
- To spread or cover over.
- ruth n.
- Sorrow for the misery of another; pity; tenderness. [From Rue, v.: cf. Icel. hryggedh, hrygedh.]
- dell n.
- A small, retired valley; a ravine. [AS. del, akin to E. dale; cf. D. delle, del, low ground. See Dale.]
- blithe a.
- Gay; merry; sprightly; joyous; glad; cheerful; as, a blithe spirit. [AS. bli blithe, kind; akin to Goth. blei kind, Icel. bli mild, gentle, Dan. & Sw. blid gentle, D. blijd blithe, OHG. blidi kind, blithe.]
- cowslip n.
- A common flower in England (Primula veris) having yellow blossoms and appearing in early spring. It is often cultivated in the United States. [AS. c, c, prob. orig., cow's droppings. Cf. Slop, n.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Ruth A-Riden is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect, Project Gutenberg ebook #21785; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Barnes, Ruth A-Riden, in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1844–1862), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/barnes-dorset/ruth-a-riden.html, id L02340.
Form and metre
Ruth A-Riden is 56 lines in 7 stanzas of 8 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables. 7 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 27% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABCCC- bridgeA · feaeceB · ridgeA · peaeceB · treadC · bespreadC · headC · riden
- 2 ABABCCC- greyA · dryB · dayA · skyB · nightC · brightC · zightC · riden
- 3 -A-ABBB- feaeir · limA · wear · brimA · wideB · zideB · prideB · riden
- 4 ABABCCC- peaeceA · beaetB · feaeceA · geaeteB · wideC · azideC · prideC · riden
- 5 ABAB-CC- brideA · willB · zideA · hillB · tooe · newC · gooC · riden
- 6 ABABCCC- peaeleA · sheaedeB · heaeleA · meaedeB · glowC · blowC · bowC · riden
- 7 ABABCCC- gildA · barkB · still'dA · darkB · breastC · restC · bestC · riden
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Ov all the roads that ever bridge | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Did bear athirt a river's feaece, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Or ho'ses up an' down the ridge | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Did wear to doust at ev'ry peaece, | 8 | ········ |
| I'll teaeke the Stalton leaene to tread, | 8 | ········ |
| By banks wi' primrwose-beds bespread, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| An' steaetely elems over head, | 8 | ········ |
| Where Ruth do come a-riden. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| An' I would rise when vields be grey | 8 | ········ |
| Wi' mornen dew, avore 'tis dry, | 8 | ········ |
| An' beaet the doust droughout the day | 8 | ········ |
| To bluest hills ov all the sky; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| If there, avore the dusk o' night, | 8 | ········ |
| The evenen zun, a-sheenen bright, | 9 | ········· |
| Would pay my leaebors wi' the zight | 8 | ········ |
| O' Ruth--o' Ruth a-riden. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Her healthy feaece is rwosy feaeir, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| She's comely in her gait an' lim', | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| An' sweet's the smile her feaece do wear, | 8 | ········ |
| Below her cap's well-rounded brim; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' while her skirt's a-spreaeden wide, | 8 | ········ |
| In vwolds upon the ho'se's zide, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| He'll toss his head, an' snort wi' pride, | 8 | ········ |
| To trot wi' Ruth a-riden. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| An' as her ho'se's rottlen peaece | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Do slacken till his veet do beaet | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| A slower trot, an' till her feaece | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Do bloom avore the tollman's geaete; | 8 | ········ |
| Oh! he'd be glad to oben wide | 8 | ········ |
| His high-back'd geaete, an' stand azide, | 8 | ········ |
| A-given up his toll wi' pride, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Vor zight o' Ruth a-riden. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| An' oh! that Ruth could be my bride, | 8 | ········ |
| An' I had ho'ses at my will, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| That I mid teaeke her by my zide, | 8 | ········ |
| A-riden over dell an' hill; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I'd zet wi' pride her litty tooe | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| 'Ithin a stirrup, sheenen new, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| An' leaeve all other jays to goo | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Along wi' Ruth a-riden. | 7 | ˘/···/˘ |
| If maidens that be weaek an' peaele | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| A-mwopen in the house's sheaede, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Would wish to be so blithe and heaele | 9 | ········· |
| As you did zee young Ruth a-meaede; | 8 | ········ |
| Then, though the zummer zun mid glow, | 8 | ········ |
| Or though the Winter win' mid blow, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| They'd leaep upon the saddle's bow, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| An' goo, lik' Ruth, a-riden. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| While evenen light do sof'ly gild | 9 | ········· |
| The moss upon the elem's bark, | 8 | ········ |
| Avore the zingen bird's a-still'd, | 8 | ········ |
| Or woods be dim, or day is dark, | 8 | ········ |
| Wi' quiv'ren grass avore his breast, | 8 | ········ |
| In cowslip beds, do lie at rest, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The ho'se that now do goo the best | 8 | ········ |
| Wi' rwosy Ruth a-riden. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.